


Kedge

by CirrusGrey



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Episode Related, M/M, Names, Semi-Crack, Short, episode 164 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:16:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23826712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CirrusGrey/pseuds/CirrusGrey
Summary: SPOILERS FOR MAG 164!!!Regarding Martin's middle name, or lack thereof.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims
Comments: 56
Kudos: 278





	Kedge

Jon had been... quiet, since their run-in with Helen. Walking along at a slower pace then normal, head dipped and eyes on the ground at his feet.

Martin was starting to get worried.

He wasn't going to say anything, though - they'd both been through a lot, recently, it was no surprise that it was taking its toll - until Jon sighed, and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. One foot swung out deliberately, kicking a small stone as he walked, and his shoulders hunched. 

That was one step too far for Martin.

"Hey, Jon?" he asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Jon snapped, and Martin raised an eyebrow.

"You don't  _ sound  _ fine."

"It's nothing, Martin, let's just keep going." His pace picked up, and Martin sighed before matching it.

"Is this about earlier?" Jon didn't respond. "Look, I  _ know  _ what Helen said, but she was just trying to get to you, okay? Of  _ course  _ you deserve me, Jon, you  _ know  _ you do, and besides-" here Martin let out a short, angry huff of breath, "-it's not about  _ deserving,  _ anyway. I  _ love  _ you, and that's what matters."

_ "Huh,"  _ Jon said, still sharp. "Not enough to tell me the truth about your name, apparently."

Martin stopped in his tracks. "Is  _ that  _ what this is about?" He'd almost forgotten  _ that. _

_ "Yes, _ that's what this is about, Martin!" Jon stopped as well, turning to face him. "You  _ lied  _ to me, I thought we- we're in a  _ relationship, _ it's supposed to be built on, on  _ trust, _ and  _ honesty, _ and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Martin held up a hand. "You're blowing this  _ way  _ out of proportion. You  _ know  _ I trust you, Jon, this is just- god, I was just messing with you!"

_ "What?"  _ Jon looked appalled.

"Look, it's- you mentioned you'd read a bit of my poetry, you asked about the K, and, well- I mean, really,  _ Kedge? _ It doesn't even  _ sound  _ like a real name, I thought you were going to laugh."

"Well, I didn't." Jon crossed his arms. "I thought my  _ partner  _ would care enough to tell me the truth."

"Yeah, and I thought  _ my  _ partner could parse sarcasm. I mean, really, Jon. 'Yeah, why on  _ earth  _ would I be having you on about this, that is  _ definitely  _ my real middle name, it was my grandmother's name...' I made it pretty obvious."

The tight bunch of Jon's arms across his chest loosened slightly. "...In hindsight that sounds a lot more sarcastic than it did at the time."

"Yeah."

"You must have known I hadn't gotten the joke, though."

"To be honest, I thought you were just playing along at first? By the time I realized you were taking it seriously I just wanted to see how far I could push it before you caught on."

"Pretty far, apparently." A smile twitched at the corner of Jon's mouth, and he shuffled his feet. Martin took the cue to start walking again, and as soon as they were level Jon leaned over to bump their shoulders together. "Sorry for overreacting."

"You're fine, Jon. Everything's a bit...  _ more, _ with everything that's going on, I get it. We've just got to make sure we talk through these things, don't just let them fester."

"Yeah..." Jon sighed.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Then:

"Why  _ didn't  _ you tell me you don't have a middle name, though?"

Martin laughed. "What, I was just supposed to tell you I  _ made one up _ to sound cooler in my poetry?"

"Yes." Jon gave him a sideways glance. "Obviously."

"Come on, Jon, that's pretty embarrassing."

"It's adorable, is what it is."

Martin's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "I thought we weren't adorable."

_ "I'm _ not adorable," Jon clarified. "You are."

"Agree to disagree," Martin chuckled.  _ "I  _ still think it's embarrassing."

Jon hmmed. "Why  _ Kedge, _ though?"

"Oh!" Martin flushed. "That, uh, that actually wasn't the original name? When I first picked a pen name it was  _ Kyrielle." _

"That's pretty," Jon sent him a soft smile that left him blushing even harder. "Does it mean anything?”

"You tell me."

There was a fission in the air. Jon blinked. "Kyrielle. A style of poetry. It's a string of short lines in stanzas all ending with the same word." He blinked again. "That's rather apt."

"Right." Martin laughed. "I figured, if it was for my poetry I might as well stick to the theme."

"Why'd you change it, then?"

Martin bit his lip. "Do you know what a kedge is?"

The air fizzled again, and Jon's eyes widened. "It's... an anchor. A small anchor that keeps a ship steady-  _ oh." _ He sounded breathless. "Martin..."

"Yep." Martin kept his eyes fixed dead ahead. After a moment, he felt Jon slip one hand into his, interlocking their fingers.

"I love you, too," he said, and Martin smiled.

"I know."

**Author's Note:**

> Other top contenders for Martin's middle name:
> 
> Kelter: nonsense  
> Kine: cows
> 
> Obscure words beginning with K found [here.](http://phrontistery.info/k.html)
> 
> Also just to clarify I don't really think Jon was too upset by that, just surprised and making a big deal out of it to poke fun at Martin. That's not going to stop me writing fanfic, though.


End file.
